TCR World and life

RUSSIA 21 REIGNING CHAMPION LADYGIN AND ROOKIE PRIVATEER FOKIN SHARE VICTORIES IN THE SEASON-OPENING EVENT LADAcarswintwiceat SmolenskRing Reigning TCR Russia champions Kirill Ladygin and LADA Sport started the new season on the front foot at the Smolensk Ring. Ladygin won the first race and his LADA Sport Rosneft teammate Mikhail Mityaev completed a 1-2 finish for the factory-run Vesta Sport cars. The second race delivered an unexpected result when the 18-year-old Egor Fokin behaved like a veteran, keeping Ladygin at bay to claim his maiden victory on his first appearance in the series at the wheel of an independently-run Vesta (centre left). Mityaev led the first race from pole ahead of Grigory Burlutskyi and Ladygin (top left) until the safety car was deployed to recover a car of the Super Production class. During the neutralization, Burlutskyi pitted to change the front left wheel and when racing resumed, a shower hit the track and several drivers went off: Fokin, Pavel Kalmanovich and Egor Orudzhev among them. Ladygin moved into the lead on lap 13 and for the two remaining laps he controlled Mityaev, beating him by half a second. Zakhar Slutzkyi overtook Ivan Lukashevich for P4 but couldn’t pass Andrej Maslennikov who completed the podium (bottom). Fokin was repaid for his Race 1 disappointment by the draw for the grid positions for Race 2 that reversed the top seven qualifiers. He seized the opportunity and led from the start. He was closely chased by Ladygin, Lukaschevich, Orudzhev and Slutzkyi. Despite all their efforts, Ladygin and Lukashevich couldn’t close the gap to Fokin enough to try an overtaking manoeuvre and so the young driver crossed the finish line with a margin of six tenths over Ladygin, while Slutzkyi came third one further tenth behind. However, the Carville Racing driver who had passed Lukashevich on the final lap was given a 30-second penalty for track limit infringements and so dropped to tenth, which meant that Lukaschevich advanced to third, ahead of Maslennikov and Burlutskyi. In the standings, Ladygin leads by 14 points over Mityaev, while Maslennikov lies third, two further points adrift. Round 1 – Sunday 16 May, Smolensk Ring 1. K. Ladygin (LADA Sport Rosneft, LADA Vesta Sport); 2. M. Mityaev (LADA Sport Rosneft, LADA Vesta Sport); 3. A. Maslennikov (Lukoil Racing Team, Hyundai i30 N) Round 2 – Sunday 16 May, Smolensk Ring 1. E. Fokin (A.M.G. Motorsport, LADA Vesta Sport); 2. K. Ladygin (LADA Sport Rosneft, LADA Vesta Sport); 3. I. Lukashevich (Lukoil Racing Team, Hyundai i30 N)